Wrong and Right
by krp101
Summary: The last time I wrote for OTH, I wrote a beautiful love story between RJ and Heather. Well, it's still a beautiful love story; however, this time, the 'beautiful couple' isn't RJ and Heather'. These two animals will have to discover the strange truth about how they feel about one another. All they have to do is tell each other first. Rated T... for now!
1. Paradise

Hello OTH world! It's krp101 again, and I've decided to take a little break from 'Bolt'. It's not that I don't like to write for them, because I absolutely love it; however, I've had this idea for a new OTH fanfic for months, and because I've been working on 'Bolt' so often, I never tried this one. Some of you will like it; some of you won't. It's just a story of two lonely furry animals trying to find love, but the lovers themselves have been completely switched from 'Family and Feelings'. Happy Reading!

**Disclaimer: **THIS STORY IS NOT RELATED TO 'OTH: FAMILY AND FEELINGS'.

A/N: I do not own Over the Hedge or any of its characters. All characters are the property of DreamWorks and its subsidiaries.

**Paradise**

"AHH!"

"Hammy, hold still! You're fur is covered in thorns." Ozzie said trying to hold the jumpy squirrel down. He'd fallen into a cactus bush after running across the street with his little paws full of Girl Scout cookies and cupcakes, and tripping over the curb and into a neighbor's front yard cactus. His head wasn't too bad, but the rest of the body was another story. No one was willing to touch the tail, because of the numerous small thorns that were too hard to see. There had to have been thousands in total, and at the moment, Ozzie didn't know just how much more he could take.

"Phew! Alright RJ, your turn." Ozzie said walking back to a small log.

"Crap! Alright, I'm comin!'" RJ said getting up off the log for his share of trying to de-needle their friend. Along with RJ and Ozzie, Tiger was also helping out as he sat on the ground for his go-around. About 20 seconds after he started pulling the pricks out of Hammy's back, Lou and Penny waltzed into the circle and saw what had happened.

"Oooh! That looks painful!" Lou said aloud.

"IT IS!" Hammy said bringing his head up and down to say it.

"You could just let us do it." Penny offered. RJ stopped right where was and turned his head to the porcupine couple.

"Huh?" RJ asked blatantly.

"We can do it, can't we hun?" Penny asked

"Absolutely! All we need is the lint roller." Lou answered

"It's…. back at the log." RJ said still in shock.

"I'll go get it." Ozzie offered and started running back to the log.

"What are you going to do?" Tiger asked

"We just roll the thing up and down his tail, and pull THAT sheet off. Then we have his tail to grab onto when we do every other part." Penny explained

"JUST DO IT QUICK!" Hammy screamed, obviously still trying not to move.

"We may still need an extra hand just to hold him so he doesn't jump." Lou explained

"_I got it!" _Ozzie said as he came running back with the lint roller. Soon after, RJ reached underneath and grabbed Hammy's hind legs to keep him from running or jumping, while Ozzie took the front legs. The tail didn't take that long at all. It was 4 quick rolls back and forth and DONE; however, the rest was gonna be an issue.

"Okay, GO!" Penny said as Lou started rolling from the back to the arms to the sides. Ozzie was doing his best to avoid getting hit from the lint roller as he dodged each swipe. RJ seemed to be fairly safe from the action going on above the struggling squirrel.

"HEY! Easy with the sticky thingy!" Hammy hollered

"Sorry, honey; but, we need to go fast so we can't get all the thorns." Penny said in as calm of a tone as possible. As she continued to sweep across Hammy's sides, she eventually moved to the stomach, where on the first slide, the lint roller gripped RJ's nose. Ozzie watched as his friend was trying to pull away, only making him laugh out loud.

"Yeah! Laugh it out, possum! Don't come crawlin' to me the next time you need revived." RJ joked as he finally pulled free. As the roller continued along Hammy's stomach, RJ tried his best to stay clear. Unfortunately, on another swipe through, his forehead was in the direct path of it. With a solid grip, RJ was thrown forwards and along Hammy's stomach, straight for Ozzie, who was too slow to move out of the way. As the two met, so did their lips. And as quickly as it started, RJ was pulled back in an instant and released from the roller. As Penny continued, completely oblivious of what just happened below, RJ and Ozzie just looked at each other, not saying anything.

"Okay! He's all good." Penny said with a smile on her face.

"Great! Can I go now?" Hammy asked as he looked down at Ozzie, who was still holding his forearms.

"Hello…. Unleash the squirrel!" Hammy said coming face to face with the possum.

"Huh?... Oh, sorry buddy!" Ozzie said letting go of his arms as RJ let go of his legs.

"Yay! I'm free!" Hammy said running straight past everyone else to God knows where.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Ozzie asked

"Well, when the kids ever get into the nacho spray cheese, trying to clean them is a pain. So, we used to stick them on a sappy tree and let the sticky sap pull it away. Then, we let the lake water rinse off the sap." Lou explained.

"Well, it worked! It may not have been safe, but it still worked." RJ stated. Lou and Penny went back to the lounge area to carry on with the rest of their day, only leaving RJ and Ozzie alone in the awkward situation of silence.

"So… Um, you wanna go watch TV?" RJ offered, trying to think of something else.

"Yeah, yeah, sure… that sounds good." Ozzie said sheepishly. The two friends walked away side by side, trying to avoid the one topic that neither of them could deny.

**(That Same Night)**

Almost all of the gang was ready to hit the hay. The porcupines were already in bed, along with Hammy and Verne. Stella was still watching TV, and Heather was listening to music. But it was Ozzie and RJ who knew sleep wouldn't come easy. Ozzie decided to take a walk, and try to process what happened between him and RJ today. As he walked past the big tree, Heather stopped him briefly.

"Hey Dad. Where are you going?"

"Oh, I'm still wide awake. So I'm gonna go walk for a little bit and try to ware myself out." Ozzie answered.

"Okay. See you later." Heather said

"Goodnight, honey." Ozzie finished as he walked into the woods to clear his mind. It didn't take him log at all before he started talking to himself.

"_What happened today? I mean; I know what was going on. But when the roller… when he flew forward… when we just stared at each other. What DID happen today? Ugh!" _Ozzie said feeling defeated. He sat down on a close stump and just sat there; not saying anything, just thinking. He didn't feel upset or angry, but he WAS confused.

"I'm not like that, and I know it. But there's just something about RJ that…" Ozzie went blank.

"_Ugh. Who could be in love out in the middle of nowhere?" _a light voice said not far from where Ozzie was sitting. The possum turned around swiftly to see who was behind him, but saw no one. He looked in every other direction, and listened even closer. He'd heard the voice again, and looked behind himself once more. He could see a faint light coming closer to him. As he continued to look at the light, it finally appeared. It was a firefly.

"Phew! This was a flight." the firefly said sarcastically. He soon flew over to Ozzie and sat right in front of him on a low tree branch.

"What's up, possum?" The firefly asked.

"Um… not much?" Ozzie answered, not really knowing what to say.

"Sweet! Well, my records indicate that you're falling for someone." He said openly. Ozzie's eyes widened a little as he just casually stared around the forest, trying to deter the bug from caring.

"Me? No, no, no, not me. I'm not in love with anyone." Ozzie said

"I don't believe you, and neither do my papers."

"Okay, who ARE you?" Ozzie asked still wondering where the bug came from.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm bein' rude. The name's Bubbles!" The little bug said extending his 'too-small-to-shake' hand. **(Picture a southern accent Black man like Chris Rock's voice.)**

"Bubbles?" Ozzie asked

"And proud of it!... I'm the love bug, dawg!" Bubbles said putting his hand back down.

"And you think I'm in love?" Ozzie said trying to joke around with Bubbles.

"Man, I don't think; I know! Dude, I've been doin' this for 9 years. Trust me; I know what to look for. And right now, I know you feelin' somethin' with this raccoon. So tell me what she looks like. Is she hot?" Bubbles asked with a cheesy smile on his face. Ozzie just looked away for a few seconds trying not laugh uncontrollably before answering.

"I'm sorry Bubbles, but there's only one raccoon that lives around here, and that's RJ."

"Yep! That's the name I got. So RJ must be short for something beautiful. Let me guess: It's somethin' like Rhonda James, or Rebecca Joy." Bubbles guessed with the same smile. Ozzie was too shocked to answer that one. The only thing he could think to say was…

"Actually, I don't know his initials."

"Awww! Man, that's alright. You figure it out one way or…." Bubbles froze in mid-sentence.

"Wait a minute! I'm sorry, but did you just say 'his'?" Bubbles asked

"RJ is a guy!" Ozzie stated in the little bug's face.

"You fallin' for another dude?" Bubbles asked in shocked.

"I'm not falling for anyone. And I'm not falling for RJ."

"Well, what I know is that you two kissed earlier today." Bubbles said

"Yeah, but… it wasn't intentional. He was basically thrown at me at the wrong angle, and our faces were just there."

"But you felt somethin'" Bubbles said again.

"How would you know?" Ozzie asked

"Because, otherwise I wouldn't be here!" Bubbles answered with a raised tone of voice. It certainly made Ozzie shut his mouth, and think a whole lot more about the situation in front of him. Everything Ozzie had been trying his best to avoid was being told to his face. But he still wasn't convinced that it could happen like that; something that Bubbles figured out quickly.

"I did NOT just fly 1400 miles to hear someone I KNOW is in love completely ignore what I just told him. I've dealt with dis' same situation countless times, and I know how badly you want it to be gone. Most o' the time, I don't judge; but DAWG! If you gonna sit on this lonely little stump, then that's all you're ever gonna be… Lonely." Bubbles said. It was a moment of mild clarity for the marsupial. It made him want the world to stop so he could just start the day over and plan it out differently. Unfortunately, he couldn't run from it. It had to be dealt with eventually, and he was already dreading the process.

"I don't wanna with this anymore right now. You already told me enough about my day." Ozzie said to Bubbles.

"No prob, dawg! I'll be back eventually." Bubbles said as he started flying off.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Ozzie asked from about 15 feet away.

"I got other hearts that need me too. There's a couple in Toledo with some 'Friendzone' issues that need resolved." Bubbles shouted before taking off at a quickened pace, with Ozzie watching him the entire time. Soon after his new bug friend left, the possum turned his head around and started walking again. It was time for him to rest his thoughts, put his feelings aside, and just sleep.

"I have all the time in the world to figure this out. But I know one thing's for sure: I can't love RJ like that. We're both guys, there's like a 15-year age difference, and I'm not gay. It's settled!" Ozzie said with pride as he walked back to the tree. Tomorrow was a new day.

**End of Chapter**

Well, it's a start! Along with Heather, I'd always thought that Ozzie and RJ had a chance to be together as well. But I'll let you guys be the judge of that. Send in all of the reviews, comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism you have crammed inside your minds. Lay out the mat! I'm ready to hear it all! See you guys shortly with Chapter 2!

Dasvidanya!


	2. Two Hearts

It's as good a night as any to start Chapter 2 of this story. I SHOULD be writing another one-shot lemon right now for 'Bolt', but I kinda wanna keep this story on its feet right now. I've never been one to abandon a story, and I'm not about to start now. So, with the taps of my fingers and the rolling of keys, let the story be written… and the fans brought to their knees.

A/N: I do not own Over the Hedge or any of its characters. All characters are the property of DreamWorks and its subsidiaries.

**Two Hearts**

What Ozzie thought would be an easy memory to delete turned out to be more of a headache than anything else….and it had only been two days. He was focusing so hard on ignoring what happened that it never went away. His emotions were into overdrive, and it was beginning to affect him and his ability to keep up with the rest of the family. Heather began to notice his lack of help, and wondered what was going on. And she would finally get her chance to ask him right now as he sprawled out on the grass by the pond.

"Hey Dad." Heather called out as she walked into view

"UGH!" Ozzie said suddenly playing possum as he fell to the ground again.

"Ya know, you could've just stayed on the ground." Heather said shaking her head. Ozzie lifted his head and glanced around, noticing his daughter walking up to him.

"Oh, well it could've bee…" Ozzie began before Heather stopped him.

"'Could've been a predator. Playing possum is what we do!' I know, Dad! I've heard it a thousand times. But I don't think I'd be too concerned about me being a predator." Heather said jokingly as she played around with the words her father had repeated over and over again.

"I teach you those things for a reason." Ozzie said getting to his feet.

"And I DO learn them… the first time." Heather said continuing to joke with Ozzie, who just smiled.

"So, what brings you to the lake?" Ozzie asked

"Actually, you. Everyone's been wondering if you're doing okay." Heather said

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Ozzie asked

"Well, you just seem… slower lately. Every time I've looked at you the last couple days, you act like you're in another world. Is something on your mind?" Heather asked, now genuinely concerned.

"No, not really. Am I really moving slower?" Ozzie asked curiously.

"Well, that's Verne talking, but then again… It's Verne. He isn't really satisfied with our food situation ANY of the time. I guess it's just because you're usually really talkative, and you've barely said a word the last couple days." Heather said. Ozzie didn't really know what to say. He didn't want to seem useless to the family, but he couldn't tell a difference in his duties.

"Well, I feel fine. Maybe I'm just burnt out this week from the last 2 raids." Ozzie explained

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Thank you, sweetheart. But I don't think you have anything to worry about." Ozzie said with a reassuring smile, which caused Heather to smile right back. She then walked up to him and hugged him firmly. Soon after she let go, she turned around and started making her way back to the log.

"Hey!" Ozzie called out to her.

"What?" Heather asked

"And you tell Verne that turtles are one of the slowest animals on Earth. Next time he wants to complain about us moving too slow, maybe THAT'll remind him to keep his mouth shut." Ozzie shouted out as he snickered silently. Heather laughed as she continued to walk through the trees. Ozzie continued to laugh as he turned back around and laid back on the grass; however, the smile didn't stay on his face for very long. Something WAS on his mind, and it was eating away at him. The other day, a small bug named Bubbles had come to visit him on an old stump, but it wasn't just any old conversation. This bug was convinced that Ozzie had feelings for his raccoon friend, RJ. To Ozzie, it seemed despicable. He couldn't be in love, and he especially couldn't be in love with another guy. And then, the little firefly goes on with the story, and tells him that he's the 'love bug', ad that it's his job to help poor souls find happiness. But was Ozzie really about to believe all of this? If the question had been asked that same night, the single opossum would have scoffed at the idea. Unfortunately, it wasn't that same night; and that same idea was still planted in his mind and wouldn't leave him alone.

"This can't be happening." Ozzie whispered to himself as he continued to lay down and stare at the sky. His world was turning upside down, and there were so many other problems that linked up with his own: Was the rest of the family aware of his sudden change? Was his excuse to Heather believable? Was that whole night with Bubbles real, or was he just hallucinating? The marsupial got to his feet once again and began a slow walk around the pond as the same thoughts crowded his brain, and it wasn't until he looked up at the sky again that he'd realized just how late it was. The bright blue was beginning to darken, and the sun was turning gold. Even the wind felt colder. He finally gave in and wandered back to the log. The rest of the family was going about their own business, not even noticing that Ozzie had come back. Not that he minded much; he was enjoying the quiet. He prepared to walk out towards the lounge area and relax a little, but never got the chance due to a hand plopping on his left shoulder. Out of normal reaction…

"UGH" Ozzie said as he fell to the ground, legs to the heavens and tail flat.

"Whoa, Ozzman! Relax!" a voice said somewhat frightened. Ozzie opened his eyes to see RJ standing at his side as he looked upwards.

"You'd think you would get used to it by now, RJ. You'd think EVERYONE would get used to it by now." Ozzie said standing up.

"You're doing what you're supposed to do, Oz." RJ inquired

"Falling like a domino?" Ozzie guessed

'Well, yes; and catching a person's eyes. It's what makes you such a good distraction for our raids." RJ explained

"Gotcha. About the raids, RJ; would you mind if I sat the next one out? I think I need a little time to recuperate. Apparently, I'm dragging and getting slower, but it's nothing a little time off can't heal." Ozzie suggested

"Sure. Is everything okay?" RJ asked

"Oh yeah, everything's fine. Just uh…. falling behind a little, I guess." Ozzie said. RJ looked at Ozzie, wondering if that was really the whole story. He'd thought about the possibility of the kiss having something to do with it, but couldn't bring himself to believe that was the problem.

"Well, okay. But, I'm holding you to our next raid." RJ said with a smile on his face. Ozzie chuckled a little.

"Yes, sir. You'll have me back to normal in no time at all." Ozzie said with an authoritarian voice.

"Good to hear. Now go get some rest." RJ said again, with Ozzie turning around to head for his tree.

**(RJ in another part of the forest)**

The charlatan sat hopelessly on a small stump just outside the habitat. He was overlooking a much larger part of the woodlands, and just sighing every few seconds. Something was eating away at him. You guessed it.

"Oh, come on. It wasn't that good of a kiss." RJ said to himself as he stood up, feeling frustrated. He paced the area around the stump as he continued to stare at the scenery around him. His head felt as heavy as his heart, and didn't know which one to believe. His head was telling him that there wasn't anything special about the kiss that he and Ozzie shared; however, his heart was saying something completely different. It was screaming out that he was lying to himself, and that he would never solve the problem if he continued to sulk.

"Does anyone out there understand me?" RJ screamed out.

"**Uh… that would be me." **said a voice from about 10 feet away. RJ turned around as fast as he could, and looked in every direction to see who was talking to him. Unfortunately, he didn't see anyone.

"Who's there?" RJ shouted

"I'm right in front of you, ringtail." said the voice from up close. It was a little bug. That same exact bug.

"Whoa!" RJ said jumping back a few feet.

"Did I scare you?" he asked

"Yeah, just a little." RJ said walking back towards the bug, who was now perched on a small plant.

"You probably have no idea who I am, do you?" the bug asked

"No, but I have a feeling you're gonna tell me." RJ said focusing on the insect.

"Yeah, buddy! The name's Bubbles. You can call me that, or by my assumed name… the 'Love Bug!' Either one works for me." Bubbles said with a cheesy smile on his face. RJ was doing his best to hold back a small laugh.

"Who names their kid 'Bubbles'?" RJ asked, with the snicker seeping through his words.

"Oh, shut up! I like it!" Bubbles said trying to defend his name, but RJ was still laughing at it.

"I'm sorry, just… give me a second." RJ said as he turned around and laughed uncontrollably for a good 5 seconds. As quick as it started, the laughter subsided, and RJ put on his straight and serious face before turning to face the firefly.

"Okay, where were…" RJ began as he looked back at the bug; however, he was gone. RJ looked around frantically, wondering where his could've flown off to in such a short amount of time.

"Bubbles?" RJ said somewhat loudly. He heard nothing. It was as if the little bug had just dropped off the face of the Earth.

"Where'd you go?" RJ shouted a little louder.

"**Right here!" **Bubbles said from 6 inches in front of RJ. He was perched on another tree branch, waiting for the perfect time to speak: When RJ was as close as he could get.

"Holy…" RJ said jumping back and tripping over the stump. The raccoon fell to the ground hard, knocking the wind out of him. RJ gasped for air for a few seconds before his lungs gave way and let him breathe normally again. After another moment, RJ leaned against the stump, not really wanting to stand back up.

"What do you want from me?" RJ shouted. Bubbles flew to the other side of the stump, where RJ was sitting and sat on the tallest blade of grass he could find.

"Well, I'm not out to get you, if that's what you're thinking." Bubbles said in the same southern accent, but with a little more attitude.

"Then what do you want?" RJ asked again

"To help you."

"Help me? You almost killed me. I've had enough surprises for one week; I don't need to die." RJ explained, which heightened the little bug's ears.

"Oh really? Long week? Tell me what's on your mind, ringtail." Bubbles said offering his services to listen.

"First off, my name isn't ringtail. It's RJ!" RJ said forcefully. Bubbles shot his eyes wide open; which wasn't too noticeable, considering his itty bitty size. This was the raccoon that the possum was falling for.

"Ok then…RJ. Tell me what happened." Bubbles said devoting all of his attention to RJ.

"Well, most of it started a couple days ago, when I had a… incident with a friend of mine. We were trying to pull a bunch of thorns off of another one of our friends. (don't ask) And in ways that take way too long to explain, we ended up…. kissing." RJ explained. Bubbles seemed to just be sitting there and listening. He was keeping a good stone façade for the most part, but underneath, he was doing mental backflips.

"I see. So what does she look like?" Bubbles asked, trying to pry the rest of the truth out of RJ.

"That's the thing. It wasn't a she. His name is Ozzie, and he's a possum." RJ said sitting back down on the stump and letting his hands fall to his face and he groaned in frustration.

"Alright, easy bud! And this… problem has been affecting your life ever since?" Bubbles asked trying to sum up the situation.

"Yeah. And I'm not gonna be able to focus for our raid in two days if I can't get my mind off this crap."

"It ain't crap, man! It's called 'love'." Bubbles said

"I DON'T LOVE OZZIE! We're just really good friends, that's all. So, if you really think you can help me now, I'd be surprised." RJ said practically giving up.

"You don't look like the type to throw in the towel that easily." Bubbles stated

"What the hell am I supposed to do? There's nothing about Ozzie that would make me feel that way about him; especially due to the fact that I'm not gay." RJ explained.

"Then why can't you stop thinking about him. If it were really that easy to forget about what happened, you would've done in days ago. I'm here for one reason and one reason only: to help people who can't help themselves. A first kiss can change a lot in a person." Bubbles said giving his advice.

"Yeah, right. That one kiss didn't change me." RJ said convinced that he was fine.

"What if I wasn't talkin' 'bout you? Did you ever ask this Ozzie guy how HE felt?" Bubbles asked. RJ suddenly lost the smile on his face. He never even thought about Ozzie's feelings. It made him sick to his stomach just thinking about it, which Bubbles took as a 'NO'.

"You might wanna get both sides of the story." Bubbles said.

"Why do you wanna help me so much?" RJ asked

"'Cause it's my job, fool!" Bubbles said as he lifted his tiny feet off the grass and started to fly away. RJ watched as he flew off past the trees and out into the open wilderness that RJ was previously gawking at. Not another word was said between the two that night.

"Who was that strange bug?" RJ asked himself as he stood back up.

**(10 minutes later)**

RJ was walking back to the log for some sleep. It had gotten really late since he'd left the group, and the night was pitch black. He'd already run into 2 trees on his way back, and was really hoping that a 3rd one wasn't in his future. As he continued to walk, he could hear a faint sound coming from the bushes to his right. He stopped, and listened intently. Slowly, he crept up to the shrubbery and peered through an opening. He could see a faint figure sitting on the ground, but couldn't tell who or what it was. Suddenly, the branch he was leaning on snapped in two, and he fell to the ground; chin first. He was lucky not to bite his own tongue off.

"Ugh! Ouch!" RJ said as he looked up to see the figure still sitting in front of him, with eyes wide open in shock. RJ caught eyes with the figure as well. And laid there motionless…

**End of Chapter**

So, who do you think the mystery character is? And why are they both so in shock? I'm giving the group of readers a bit of a warning: the next chapter I write might put this story in the Rated M section of the OTH page. I still have yet to write it, but I still don't know. Just be warned. My apologies for the late update. My computer has obtained a virus, and I'm forced to write and update at my library until I figure out what's wrong with my laptop. Thanks for being so patient with me!

Dasvidanya!


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